Am I to Marry? Or Aren't I?
by Montley
Summary: Wizards and witches have lived in fear that a marriage law would be passed. The Weasley family thought that they had nothing to worry about, until one Sunday morning...


A/N Fred's not dead, what are you talking about?

Am I to Marry? Or aren't I?

By Montley

During the sixteenth century there was a series of Ogre Wars, which ultimately slaughtered thousands of wizards and witches. Even though they ended up winning the last war, their numbers were dwindling on endangerment. The Ministry at that period of time set out a Marriage Law, dictating people to marry another wizard or witch chosen by the ministry and to produce a child with that wizard or witch. If they did not follow through with the marriage they would be locked in Azkaban until they agreed to do so. Those who were married or engaged were luckily excused. The Ministry was much more stringent during that period of time. The unfair and obscure law was created to repopulate the Wizarding community. Now in present day, another war had recently ended, The Second Wizarding War.

Many wizards and witches have been living in fear that the law would be reinstated and that they would have to marry someone they did not love or even know. Others figured that the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt would never allow such a law to be passed. People in Wizengamot had attempted to put forward that motion, but it had ultimately been vetoed by Kingsley.

The Weasley family-and those associated-for one did not live in fear. They trusted Kingsley to rule fairly and to the best of his abilities. But all of them remember the day when an owl for each unmarried person flew through the windows of the Burrow on that one bright Sunday morning.

They were magnificent owls carrying sealed envelopes with the mark of the Ministry of Magic on them. Their aura was proud, and they were large, each of them a Snowy owl, much bigger than the late Hedwig was, and with Black spots decorating their feathers. Molly Weasley was in the kitchen at the time the owls arrived. The owls all dropped the letter that each one was carrying onto the kitchen table. The fine print and delicate writing on the envelopes was enough for Molly to know exactly what they entailed. She yelled for some of her children and her husband to come downstairs, and she summoned the rest to come home with her Patronus. She told the ones who were home to wait for the others to arrive so they could all open the letters together. Oddly enough Fred's, George's, Percy's and Charlie's letters were sent to the Burrow as well, even though they lived elsewhere.

As soon as all of them were there, Molly and Arthur were about to allow them to open the letters when they all heard two resounding pops, one right after the other.

"Did you all get these letters?" an impatient voice belonging to Hermione Granger asked.

"We both did," Harry reciprocated.

"We were about to open them," Ron said tentatively to his best friends.

"Alright," Molly said to the children. "Do it together then."

Sounds of parchment being ripped were heard and so were tears, yells, stutters and shouts (some of anger and some of glee).

"Who did everyone get?" Arthur asked the children, holding on to his wife's shoulders. No one spoke up, so Arthur pointed to Ron to say his newly betrothed first.

Ron made direct eye contact with a weeping Hermione, gulped and stuttered, "P-p-p-p-p-p-p."

"Out with it Ronnikins," Fred ordered his beet-red brother.

"Well, who'd you get?" Ron demanded, glaring at his brother.

"I got Angelina, luckily," Fred answered joyfully.

"You are lucky! You two were dating, but me and Mione…," Ron said to his brother, his hands shaking in fury.

"Who did you get, Ron?" Hermione asked through her tears.

"P-p-p-pa-p-p-p-pa-p-p-p-pan-Pansy P-p-p-pa-p-p-par-park-Parkinson," Ron stuttered. Images of a horrible life with the pug-faced girl ran through his head. He did not want to be separated from Hermione, he loved her too much, and to be separated by Parkinson was too much to possibly bear.

"I got Draco Malfoy!" Hermione shrieked as she wept. She ran to Ron and hugged him, never wanting to let him go.

"You two aren't the only ones being separated!" Harry shouted. "I got Millicent Bulstrode! What about you, Ginny?"

"Blaise Zabini," Ginny answered with no emotion to her voice. She always believed that Blaise was attractive, but she never wanted to be separated from Harry, she was in love with him as long as she could remember. She approached Harry the same time he approached her and they enveloped each other in a hug.

"George, Charlie, Percy, what about you three?" Arthur asked.

"I got Katie Bell!" George exclaimed with a smirk.

"I got McGonagall," Charlie said breathlessly. In the first place, he had never wanted to settle down, and to settle down with an old professor made him want to vomit. They even had to c-c-c-consummate the marriage. Charlie put a hand in front of his face as though he was about to throw up, and he ran to the bathroom.

"This is preposterous! My new partner is some boy named Cormac McLaggen," Percy told them as though he were about to faint with shock.

"How could the ministry approve that?" Molly asked Arthur in a whisper. "Two men, they can't, you know, produce a child."

"And Audrey and I are in a very loving relationship," Percy interrupted pompously, since he was overhearing his parents' words.

"If I knew I'd have told you, Molly," Arthur answered.

"I'm so sorry kids," Molly said, addressing her children, Harry and Hermione, her eyes filling with tears at the thought of young love being broken up without their own consent.

"It's just not fair," agreed Arthur and he looked at them consolingly. "I guess we have to write to your betrothed and see what happens from there."

"No Dad," Ginny said, breaking from her hug with Harry. "We should go to Romania with Charlie, escape the law. I don't care if we are fugitives. If you think about it, it might be fun."

"It is something to take into consideration," Harry agreed smiling at Ginny. The twins exchanged nervous looks and they both coughed at the same time, calling attention to themselves.

"Now, there's something we'd like to tell you," George said to his family and friends. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny broke from their hugs to look at the twins. Molly, Arthur and Percy glared at them, and Charlie's head popped out of the bathroom door.

"You see those letters," Fred started.

"Weren't actually from the Ministry," George continued.

"And how do you two know this?" Hermione questioned them through gritted teeth. She wiped her tears from her eyes, a vicious look replacing a sad one, which was a look that was identical to everyone around her.

"Because we sent them," Fred said carefully. Both of the twins had their eyes closed and their heads slightly bent down, waiting for someone to throw the first punch.

"You two are dead," Harry snarled. The twins exchanged glances, raised their wands, and they apparated the hell out of there.


End file.
